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An Anaheim Ducks BlogFri, 21 Nov 2014 02:18:08 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.1Round 2: Ducks vs. Kingshttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/round-2-ducks-vs-kings.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=round-2-ducks-vs-kings
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/round-2-ducks-vs-kings.html#commentsThu, 01 May 2014 21:41:59 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=617Boy, if you thought the Ducks and Stars series was nasty and filled with bitter hatred, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

In the regular season the Kings and Ducks hate each other. Especially the fans. Put them in a playoff series for the first time in 20 years? Nuclear fission.

“It’s very intense,” observed Nick Bonino, who is becoming Mr. Clutch for Anaheim. “It’s a physical rivalry. There are so many hits, fights, and everything. It definitely brings the intensity up and it’s a lot like the regular season when we play these guys. They’ve got tons of Kings fans in our building, and we’ve got Ducks fans in theirs. I’m expecting to see more of that.”

You have to admit, the travel is pretty sweet. Depending on traffic, it’s an hour up the freeway (or two….or more). No airplanes involved in getting from point A to point B.

That way both teams can save their energy for on the ice.

Los Angeles had to make an historic comeback against the San Jose Sharks after being down 3-0 in the series. When the real Kings came out in games 4, 5, 6 and 7, there was no stopping them.

“They just kept coming, and didn’t deviate from the way they played,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “They had four lines playing. And [Jonathan] Quick was looking so much more like Quick in the last four games than he did in the first three. That’s good for them.”

Good for them. Bad for Anaheim.

LA also carries the momentum and routine into the second round, which begins on Saturday night at the Honda Center. The Ducks have been resting, healing and practicing since defeating the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.

But as in the regular season, it won’t be hard for both teams to be up for this one.

“We’ve played against the Kings so many times, we all know each other,” said captain Ryan Getzlaf. “It’s just going to be a good, hard-fought battle. There are no surprises. We’re excited to get things started.”

Getzlaf was announced as one of three finalists for the Hart Trophy earlier today. His linemate, Corey Perry, won it in 2011. Will it be Getzlaf’s turn this year?

The captain was also nominated earlier for the Mark Messier Leadership Award, a nomination he shares with the Kings captain, Dustin Brown.

Which one of those two players will lead their team to the Western Conference Finals?

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/round-2-ducks-vs-kings.html/feed0Ducks Come From Behind To Eliminate Starshttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-come-from-behind-to-eliminate-stars.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ducks-come-from-behind-to-eliminate-stars
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-come-from-behind-to-eliminate-stars.html#commentsTue, 29 Apr 2014 16:32:45 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=614The Ducks did it again. Come from behind and sneak in for the win.

In Game 6, in Dallas, the Ducks were down 4-2 before staging another comeback in the third period and then winning the game with a goal from Nick Bonino in overtime.

It was the first time that the home team did not win the game in the series, a nasty affair filled with spearing, hitting, a broken leg, and plenty of misconducts thrown in for good measure.

Yet at the end of it all, everyone still shook hands, offering respectful congratulations and good wishes to the players they just tried to annihilate on the ice. I love hockey!

The Ducks now move on to round 2, something they haven’t done since 2009. They get a couple of days to rest and regroup while figuring out if it will be the Sharks or the Kings.

The Sharks were ahead 3-0 in the series, threatening to sweep, and then the Kings decided to play like the Kings. Now the series is tied 3-3, going to a game 7 on Wednesday to duke it out. Will the Sharks choke? Again? Will the Kings do what only three teams have ever done in all of playoff history and come back to win four in a row?

No matter which team prevails, the Ducks need to be ready when the next round begins on Friday.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-come-from-behind-to-eliminate-stars.html/feed0Getzlaf Returns; Helps Ducks Take 3-2 Series Leadhttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-returns-helps-ducks-take-3-2-series-lead.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=getzlaf-returns-helps-ducks-take-3-2-series-lead
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-returns-helps-ducks-take-3-2-series-lead.html#commentsSat, 26 Apr 2014 22:01:29 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=612In the pivotal Game 5 of the playoff series between Anaheim and Dallas, penalties and the Ducks were the winners. If you thought this series was chippy and nasty, things got moved up a bar or two, with 121 combined penalty minutes between the two teams.

The most important number was the score, and the Ducks made sure to maintain their home advantage in the 6-2 victory that leaves them one win away from going to the second round.

Having captain Ryan Getzlaf return to the line up certainly boosted the team, as did having the home fan advantage.

Getzlaf had a goal and two assists in a game that he was listed as “questionable” to play in, due to an upper body injury that caused him to fly home early from Dallas and miss Game 4.

“Every time you get your captain back, it’s going to make you feel better,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “It’s like your big brother is back. Guys felt a little more secure, and he came out and played a really great game, as well as the other guys.”

After leading the series 2-0, the Ducks encountered exceptional goaltending from Kari Lehtonen in Game 3, and experinced some lags in Game 4, which is why the series came back to Anaheim tied.

Let the Stars take the lead in the series, on their ice? Ducks said no way with a strong performance and a rebound from goaltender Frederik Andersen, who had 34 saves.

“He made the saves he had to make at the right time,” Boudreau said. “When they were pushing and it was 2-1 or 3-2, he stood tall. That’s what good goalies do. I’m happy for him that he was able to come back in a tough atmosphere and do what he did.”

Superb penalty killing and finding ways to score power play goals (four), which is a playoff record for the Ducks, was also key.

“I thought I got better as the game went on,” said Getzlaf. “I felt more and more comfortable. The crowd was unbelievable. Everything was fired right up. They give us so much energy when we come out and we have that kind of support with us.”

The Ducks opened the scoring with a power play goal from Nick Bonino at 5:32 of the first period.

Dallas had an opportunity to tie things up, but Jordie Benn’s goal was disallowed due to an overly high stick knocking the puck in the net. Benn’s brother, Jamie, did tie up the game at 10:00 even with a shorthanded goal due to a poor turnover by Getzlaf. But Rickard Rakell got his first NHL goal, another power play goal for the Ducks, just :26 seconds later, tipping in Francois Beauchemin’s shot from the blue line.

Why was Dallas short handed? Because Ryan Garbutt decided to continue his antics in Game 5 and made the exceptionally poor decision to spear Corey Perry, a little below the belt. Garbutt got thrown from the game (and a nice fine from the NHL on Saturday), and the Ducks capitalized on the five minute major.

“Garbutt is a hard-nosed player,” said Shawn Horcoff. “He is important to our team and we obviously need him on the ice. I think he is going to learn a valuable lesson from that. We’ll move on from that.”

The Ducks were more than happy to have Garbutt off the ice.

Anaheim made it 3-1 with another power play goal at 1:05 of the second period. Mathieu Perreault was assisted by Getzlaf on the play, which was the result of the second goaltender interference call on the Stars.

Horcoff brought Dallas back within one goal at 8:19, but that was all that Dallas was able to muster. The rest of the way it was all Ducks.

In the third period, Anaheim exploded for three unanswered goals in four shots to make it unattainable for Dallas.

Jakob Silfverberg got the ball rolling at 1:07 into the period. Then Getzlaf scored at 4:30 to make it 5-2. At that point, Lehtonen was replaced by Tim Thomas, who did not fare much better.

Dallas remained undisciplined, taking yet another penalty, and Perry made it 6-2 at 6:49.

“Tonight, to get a big goal to start the period and get Lehtonen out of the net was a big confidence boost for us,” said Andrew Cogliano. “It was a picture-perfect third period for us.”

If things had been chippy and nasty before, they disintegrated with 12:20 remaining. A huge brawl resulted in 11 penalties between the two teams, including four misconducts.

“It’s about maintaining our focus,” Getzlaf said. “When we got to Dallas last time, we got a little revved up and got into some things that weren’t part of our game. Tonight, we did a better job of focusing on what we need to do, and we need to do that next game.”

Game 6 is Sunday evening in Dallas. The Ducks have a great opportunity to end the series, but they need to play their game and not get sucked into the cheap shots and stupidity.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-returns-helps-ducks-take-3-2-series-lead.html/feed0Stars Even the Series; Ducks Lagginghttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/stars-even-the-series-ducks-lagging.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stars-even-the-series-ducks-lagging
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/stars-even-the-series-ducks-lagging.html#commentsThu, 24 Apr 2014 23:07:18 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=610With a chance to take a 3-1 lead in the series, the Ducks short circuited instead and found themselves tied with Dallas after a 4-2 loss on Wednesday night.

If the game had only been 20 minutes long, things would have been just fine. But they are a full 60 minutes long.

Despite being without captain Ryan Getzlaf, who missed the game with the nebulous “upper body injury,” they still came out with a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Goals from defenseman Bryan Allen, his first ever playoff goal, and Patrick Maroon, gave the Ducks their first lead in Dallas.

The wheels came off in the second period.

Dallas outshot Anaheim 16 – 3 and tied up the game with goals from Jamie Benn and Vernon Fiddler. Goaltender Frederik Andersen looked more than a little shaky, and coach Bruce Boudreau probably should have pulled him at that point.

“After the second goal, I certainly did [think about pulling Andersen],” said Boudreau. “I told [Jonas Hiller] to get ready because I didn’t think [Andersen] was that sharp. In the third period I just thought it was time.”

Even if Boudreau had put in Hiller, you still have to credit the Stars for turning things around in the game.

“I just said I wasn’t happy,” said Stars coach Lindy Ruff. “I thought we got outworked. I thought we weren’t playing smart enough and it was our turn to answer and I think that group in there answered the bell. It’s not often we get out worked but there was some situations where some of it was smarts and some of it was getting outworked. I thought after that, the last 40 was as hard as the boys could go. They emptied the tank.”

Goals from Cody Eakin and Alex Goligoski in the third period came 1:22 apart. After Goligoski’s goal, Andersen was done and Jonas Hiller got his first taste of the playoffs.

“I just need to have a short memory,” said Andersen, who had 20 saves. “I need to be ready for the next game back in Anaheim, and that’s what I’m focusing on.”

The series now becomes a best of three, with the teams returning to Anaheim for Game 5 on Friday evening.

Whether or not Getzlaf will be back in the line up remains questionable but the hope is that he will able to rejoin the line up.

Teemu Selanne was also missing in Game 4, a healthy scratch, something that Boudreau knew would not be well received by fans, but felt it was the right decision to make.

Now is the time to step up, because with the series tied, Game 5 is the tipping point. Someone will be one win away from moving on. And someone will be one loss away from golfing.

“We’re glad to go back in front of our fans,” said Mathieu Perreault, who had a chance to retake the lead in the second were it not for a goalpost strike. “We’ve been good at home all year. We need to come out hard. We have to play Ducks hockey and stick together. We have two home games. We’re still positive.”

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/stars-even-the-series-ducks-lagging.html/feed0Dallas Shuts Out Ducks 3-0http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/dallas-shuts-out-ducks-3-0.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dallas-shuts-out-ducks-3-0
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/dallas-shuts-out-ducks-3-0.html#commentsTue, 22 Apr 2014 21:46:33 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=608You knew there wasn’t going to be a four game sweep in this series, didn’t you? If not, you haven’t been paying attention.

Monday night, when the series between the Ducks and Stars moved to Dallas, the Stars got a 3-0 shutout. The series is now 2-1, in favor of Anaheim.

A huge part of that shutout was goaltender Kari Lehtonen, who had not won a previous playoff game, much less a series. Lehtonen made 37 saves, frustrating the Ducks, who clearly had some excellent chances, but were only to be denied.

Anaheim played well, in fact, they played more consistently throughout the entire game, but they had nothing to show for it. They just need to bring that same level of effort to Game 4.

“I told the players that and I thought we did a lot of good things,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “We did a lot of good things but we didn’t score. It’s a real difference playing with the lead and playing from behind in this league and from confidence to taking chances. When we were pressing a little much there and it was giving them some odd-man breaks, but I thought chance wise and skating wise and territorial wise, that we were a lot better tonight than we’ve been in the first two games.”

One can only hope that the nasty chippy play mellows out a bit. Antoine Roussel taking shots at Ryan Getzlaf’s jaw? The one that is being protected by a football-like helmet because there are too many stitches to count from a puck in the face? Not cool.

“There’s class,” said Getzlaf after the game. “You can play hard, but, me, personally, if a guy’s got a bad jaw, I’m not going to hit him in the jaw. But everybody’s different. It’s going to be a war.”

It already is a war. The question becomes how many more casualties will there be before this is all over?

Then there was Ryan Garbutt who dove for a puck and got tangled up with defenseman Stephane Robidas. Robidas, who was traded from the Stars at the beginning of March, broke his right leg on the play, the same one he broke just under five months ago. Robidas is one of those casualties, out for the remainder of the postseason.

“You think about the play and you wonder how stupid it is, really, how pointless it is diving at a puck that really has no play on anything,” said Andrew Cogliano. “It’s not right, and you feel for him because the poor guy has broken his leg twice. He’s not only a good guy and a solid guy, but he’s a great player. That’s a huge loss for us.”

Earlier in the regular season Garbutt was suspended after a hit that knocked out Dustin Penner. Garbutt is not going to be a fan favorite in Anaheim, that’s for sure.

Jamie Benn, Valeri Nichushkin and Garbutt all scored for Dallas, who had not hosted a playoff game since May 2008 when it lost in the Western Conference Finals to Detroit.

Benn’s goal came with less than a minute left in the first period when he tapped in a rebound that Frederik Andersen, who made 19 saves, could not control.

Nichushkin made it 2-0 at 17:15 of the middle frame. The Ducks have come back from greater deficits than this, but by the time Garbutt scored at 7:52 of the third, that was pretty much it for Anaheim. Not the way Lehtonen was playing.

“Tomorrow is a new day,” said Patrick Maroon, who got a game misconduct late in the game for not leaving Benn alone. “We’ll practice and get ready to come back Wednesday.”

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/dallas-shuts-out-ducks-3-0.html/feed0Getzlaf Leads in 3-2 Victory over Starshttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-leads-in-3-2-victory-over-stars.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=getzlaf-leads-in-3-2-victory-over-stars
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-leads-in-3-2-victory-over-stars.html#commentsSun, 20 Apr 2014 16:25:43 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=604A captain’s job has many duties. The most important one is to lead, and that is exactly what Ryan Getzlaf has been doing for the Anaheim Ducks.

In Game 1 of the series against Dallas, Getzlaf took a puck to the face with about :15 seconds remaining in the game. Definitely not the preferred way to block a shot. The doctors lost count of the number of stitches it took to sew him back up again and the dentist has a lot fewer teeth to clean. Miss a game? Heck no.

Add a baby girl born in the wee hours of Thursday night/Friday morning (joining two big brothers in the family) and you get some sleep deprivation thrown in with the pain killers. Getzlaf actually showed up for the morning skate. Coach Bruce Boudreau sent him home to nap.

Must have been a pretty good nap, because in Game 2 on Friday night, Getzlaf led and inspired with a goal and an assist in the 3-2 victory, all while wearing a lovely footballesque helmet to protect his face.

“Every once and a while, you need your best players to step it up when the rest of the guys lose their composure,” Boudreau observed. “Getzy, with what’s happened to him in the last three days, to come in and get two points and a plus-3 rating, is a sure reason why he’s hopefully nominated for the MVP.”

Dallas, who had made a late push in Game 1, came out with the same enthusiasm in Game 2.

A power play goal from Alex Chiasson at 7:40 of the first period was the Stars reward and gave them their first lead in the series. At least until Getzlaf scored at 17:14, having intercepted the puck from the Stars and putting it in past Kari Lehtonen.

“What a great play by him stealing the puck and being a beast going to the net,” said Corey Perry. “That’s the type of player he is, and he showed us what he can do.”

The Stars turned over the puck again and this time it was Perry who said ‘thank you very much.’ Perry did not hesitate in putting the puck in the net at 16:15 of the middle frame, his fist playoff goal since 2011 against Nashville.

In the third period, Anaheim got a short handed goal from Andrew Cogliano at 5:09 to give them a 3-1 lead. They needed it, because it would be the eventual game winner. And they only had one more shot in the rest of the period.

Meanwhile, the rest of the third period was all Dallas and Frederik Andersen. Dallas had 15 shots on goal in the third period alone and Andersen stopped every one of them except Ryan Garbutt’s bid at 9:58.

Once again, it was a one goal game with the Stars coming hard from every single angle. And once again, Andersen made the key saves, 34 in all, to preserve Anaheim’s lead and give them their second victory in a row.

“In a lot of games, you might think we’ll break, but you see the sacrifice — many mistakes as we were making — the lack of shots, getting in lanes, the goalie getting saves we do the things it takes to get a win,” said Boudreau.

So now the Ducks lead the series 2-0, but there is still a long way to go.

“I’ll give you a very boring answer, we’re up 2-0, that’s all we’ve done,” said Getzlaf “We’ve got two wins and we need four. The next one is the biggest one we can go after.”

That happens on Wednesday night in Dallas. Game 4 is also in Dallas, on Friday night.

If the captain keeps leading and Andersen keeps saving, there just might be a chance of getting out of the first round.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/getzlaf-leads-in-3-2-victory-over-stars.html/feed0Ducks Take Game One Against Dallashttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-take-game-one-against-dallas.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ducks-take-game-one-against-dallas
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-take-game-one-against-dallas.html#commentsFri, 18 Apr 2014 00:19:08 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=602A win is a win and this one was closer than the Ducks would have liked.

The 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars in game one of the opening round of the NHL playoffs was narrow, but as usual, Anaheim found a way to hold on and win the game.

“A little adversity isn’t going to hurt us,” said Corey Perry. “We’ve got to learn how to play with the lead, especially down to the wire. All those things are going to help us.”

Things started off well for Anaheim, who took a 4-0 lead by the time the game was halfway done. That included two power play goals. Yes, goals, plural. The first time they had more than one in a game since January 15.

Kyle Palmieri scored within the first two minutes of the puck drop and was followed by Ryan Getzlaf midway through the first. Mathieu Perreault got the first power play goal at 19:30 and Matt Beleskey doubled the specialty team goals at 9:04 of the second period.

And then the Ducks got into trouble. A high sticking penalty from former Star, Stephane Robidas, followed by a bench minor for too many men on the ice meant that Dallas had a 5 on 3 opportunity.

Agree with the calls or not, that was the way things unfolded and Dallas did exactly what they are supposed to do with a two man advantage. They scored. Jamie Benn scored at 16:38 and 1:31 later, Colton Sceviour cut the Ducks lead in half, just as the second penalty was expiring.

Oopsie daisy.

Tyler Seguin’s tally at 13:53 of the third period meant that the Ducks would need to hang on if they wanted to win the game.

Frederik Andersen, who got the nod in net over Jonas Hiller, who was backing things up on the bench, made 32 saves. That was one more than Kari Lehtonen at the other end and it was the difference maker.

No one in the sell out sea of orange at the Honda Center was going to leave early. Six minutes of “oh my goodness, they aren’t going to screw this up, are they?”

“When a team scores two goals late, they get the momentum and the belief they can win,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “The other team is playing more of a defensive role trying to hang on. Then, you usually end up with a score like it was tonight, even though I thought halfway through the game we were in control of the situation.”

Did the Ducks let up a little? Probably. Did Dallas continue pressing? Absolutely. Did Dallas get a little life and encouragement? Possibly, but the win was still in the Ducks column.

“Even though you’re up 4-0, you have to play 60 minutes,” said Andersen.
“But I’m happy about the win.”

Ducks fans are, too. They will be even happier if the Ducks learn from their mistakes and gear up for the full 60 minutes plus. There is still a lot of hockey left to be played in this series.

Game 2 is Friday night at Honda Center.

In other notes: Beleskey left the game in the third period with a lower body injury after having his goal scored with a puck deflecting off his right leg pad.

Getzlaf also finished up the game in the locker room after blocking a shot with his mouth at 19:43 of the third period. He received a lot of stitches to close the cut, but x-rays were negative and Getzlaf is expected to play tomorrow night. A couple inches higher, without a visor on, and that puck could have done much more serious and costly damage.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/ducks-take-game-one-against-dallas.html/feed0Let the Games Begin! Playoffs Start Tonight!http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/let-the-games-begin-playoffs-start-tonight.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=let-the-games-begin-playoffs-start-tonight
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/let-the-games-begin-playoffs-start-tonight.html#commentsWed, 16 Apr 2014 22:07:21 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=600Is it wrong to feel like a kid at Christmas when the NHL playoffs begin? Especially when my team is playing?

Tonight, the real season begins for 16 teams. This is what the regular season was building up to. The points mattered before, but now they really matter.

Sixteen teams and only one of them will have 16 wins by the time June rolls around. That is the team that gets the honor and privilege of hoisting the Stanley Cup.

For the Ducks, they won both the Pacific Division as well as the Western Conference. That gives them home ice advantage for at least the next three rounds. Assuming they get there.

First round begins against an old foe, the Dallas Stars. In Anaheim’s Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003 they had to get past Dallas in the second round. They did that in six games, including a game one doozy that went to five overtimes before Petr Sykora clinched the 4-3 win. To date, it is still the fourth longest game in NHL history.

The Ducks also met up with Dallas in 2008, but the Stars took that series 4-2, with the Ducks just not ready for another long postseason run after having won the Cup the year before.

In the series clinching game in 2008, Stephane Robidas was the number one star for Dallas. This year, Robidas is wearing an Anaheim uniform, having been acquired at the trade deadline. Can’t think of one single Duck who isn’t happy to have Robidas on their side, instead of the other side.

2008 was also the last time the Stars made it to the postseason. This year, they qualified right at the end of the year, but don’t think that they will be walked all over in round one. Both teams know each other and this year, Dallas had the better record against in the regular season.

Anaheim, after slumping a wee bit, finished 9-2-1 to end the season and go into the post season with strong goaltending, albeit not from the expected source. Frederik Andersen is going to get the nod in net in game one. Not Jonas Hiller. Hiller has not played since April 6 and has been less than stellar. So much so, that both Andersen, a rookie with 28 games under his belt and even newer rookie, 20 year old John Gibson (three games), are the top two guys right now.

“I know what everyone’s going to say if we lose,” said coach Bruce Boudreau.

Doesn’t matter who they put in the net. If the Ducks lose, the decision would be questioned either way. And the Ducks do not want to lose, after going out in the first round last year to a more bitter foe in the Detroit Red Wings.

Unfinished business? You betcha.

Unfinnished business? You betcha. Teemu Selanne didn’t stick around for one final season just to go the Olympics for the sixth time in his career. He wants the Cup again. So does fellow Finn, Saku Koivu, who has never raised the Cup.

Both teams want it. Which one wants it more? Game one starts tonight. May the best team win.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/let-the-games-begin-playoffs-start-tonight.html/feed0Selanne the Star in Final Regular Season Gamehttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/selanne-the-star-in-final-regular-season-game.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=selanne-the-star-in-final-regular-season-game
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/selanne-the-star-in-final-regular-season-game.html#commentsTue, 15 Apr 2014 02:11:29 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=598Teemu Selanne probably wondered if this day would ever come, and now, after 21 years, he has played in his final regular season game. The Anaheim Ducks star and Hall of Fame shoe-in made his final regular season appearance before a standing room only Honda Center on Sunday. It may have been Fan Appreciation Night, but it was more like Teemu Appreciation Night.

At the opposite end of the ice, also loved by the fans, was Jean-Sebastien Giguere, in net for the Colorado Avalanche it what was also likely to be his final regular season game. How fitting that he got his last start in Anaheim, where he gave so much and earned a Stanley Cup.

“It worked out great,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “I was really happy because we knew the game itself wasn’t going to be worth anything in the standings for either team. That’s where it worked out best. We could honor (Selanne), honor Jiggy, and do it without having to worry about points.”

From the very start, it was all about Teemu. Even in the warm ups. Signs. Tributes. Special guests, including long time friends who flew in from Finland to surprise him. Even former Duck and linemate, Paul Kariya, showed up, after a bit of coaxing by Selanne. Family. And of course the fans, who love him as much as he loves them.

Despite his teammates trying to get him that final goal (or goals), the Ducks continued their trend of falling behind in a game.

Brad Malone tipped in a shot at 12:11 of the first period that just barely slipped in behind John Gibson, getting his third nod in net for the Ducks. Gibson earned the NHL second star of the week for his cumulative efforts – three wins, one of them a shutout, a 1.33 goals against average and .954 save percentage.

Stefan Elliott made it 2-0 late in the second period, giving the Avalanche a nice lead.

Without their top players (Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Francois Beauchemin sat out to rest up for the playoff push), it seemed like Anaheim was a little flat. And then the third period arrived.

Social media, being what it is, had started a campaign to give Selanne a standing ovation every time he had a shift in the third period. The majority of the crowd did so, providing much needed energy in the building.

At 1:41, with Selanne on the ice, Patrick Maroon finally got a puck past Giguere, who made 33 saves in a solid performance.

Just a little over three minutes later, Anaheim did it again, with the other Finn, Saku Koivu, getting his 11th of the year to tie things up.

Despite good chances by both teams, the game headed to overtime. Just a little extra time for Selanne, who did not manage to put the puck in the net. Instead, it was Nick Bonino who got the overtime game winner at 1:33 of the extra period.

“That’s going to be the most forgotten-about overtime goal in the history of the Ducks,” said Bonino, laughing. “It was a great play by Sami Vatanen and Devante Smith-Pelly, and I’m happy it went in. But it was T’s night, and we’re all happy for him.”

When it was all over both teams remained on the ice. The Avs were honoring and congratulating Giguere and Selanne was named the first, second and third star of the game. You could not deny that he had earned it.

Selanne took a victory lap of the Honda Center, waving to the crowd, hugging the referees and linesmen, getting handshakes from the Avalanche players. And then in a gesture that truly is Selanne, he got to Jiggy and grabbed his hand and took him out to the middle of the ice as well.

At that point, it was deafening and there were few dry eyes in the house.

“Oh man, I’m glad there were no cameras on me because I was crying,” said . How could I not?” Boudreau confessed. “That was as great a scene as you’re going to see in sports. Two well-deserved heroes of hockey hugging each other after doing battle. To me, that’s what it’s all about. It was great.”

The 36-year-old Giguere, who also had his family flown in for the game, was touched by gesture, but not surprised.

“Teemu’s such a class act and he’s known for a while that this possibly could be my last game,” said Giguere. “It just comes natural for him to do nice things to people. That’s why everybody loves Teemu. I’ll be forever grateful for what he did. I almost felt guilty, because this is his night.”

It was definitely his night as well as early morning. After a late supper with his surprise Finnish guests, there was still nearly 100 fans waiting outside for Selanne. At 1:30am!

He stayed and signed for every last one of them. “How could I not?!” he said at practice on Monday morning.

“What a great ending,” Selanne said. “It was really special. The fans are unbelievable for me. All through the years, this franchise, and the fans, has treated me great. It was a big honor. It’s almost overwhelming. It felt great.”

This is not it, though. The postseason remains and now the real work begins on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars.

“It wasn’t really the last game because we still have games remaining, so it would’ve been way harder if that was the last time playing,” said Selanne. “But I’ll remember this night forever.”

Here’s to his last memories on ice are holding the Stanley Cup once more.

]]>http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/selanne-the-star-in-final-regular-season-game.html/feed0Anaheim Clinches Western Conference in Win over LAhttp://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/anaheim-clinches-western-conference-in-win-over-la.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=anaheim-clinches-western-conference-in-win-over-la
http://ontheduckpond.com/2014-articles/anaheim-clinches-western-conference-in-win-over-la.html#commentsSun, 13 Apr 2014 22:20:20 +0000http://ontheduckpond.com/?p=596All Anaheim needed was a point in order to clinch the Western Conference, but they got two in a 4-3 shootout victory over Los Angeles.

“They all knew they just needed a point,” said Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau. “We never talked about it, but you could tell after the game was over, they all knew. Some of them were high-fiving each other. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for them. Then, we said, ‘Let’s go win it in a shootout.'”

The Ducks owned the Kings all year, going 4-1-0 in the five game series. It is part of the reason why Anaheim took the Pacific Division, as well as the conference.g

“You never want a team to think they can beat you, and this year we’ve been able to handle them,” said Ryan Getzlaf. “We’ve had years in the past where it was tough to beat them. It’s good to have that last win against them going into the playoffs, in case we have to face them.”

The earliest that would happen is the second round. For now, the Ducks will meet Dallas in round one and the Kings will travel up to San Jose for their first round match up against the Sharks. It sets things up for a possible Ducks – Kings series in round two, something that has never happened before between the two teams who already hate each other.

Frederik Andersen got the start in net for Anaheim, with John Gibson sitting on the bench as back up. Jonas Hiller? In a suit. Ouch.

Boudreau says he is taking the goaltending decisions one day at a time, one game at a time. So far, he’s making the right decisions. (Sorry Jonas).

Dustin Brown struck first at 4:43 of the first period. In one of those, “do they really pay attention?” moments, you had to wonder about Kings fans chanting “Hiller.” Remember, he wasn’t even dressed for the game.

Regardless, the Ducks were able to tie things up with a “how did you do that?” goal from Nick Bonino at 6:14. Bonino was falling to his knees with his back to the net and still managed to reach behind him and lift the puck up and over Jonathan Quick.

The Ducks took the lead when Devante Smith-Pelly redirected Hampus Lindholm’s shot on the net at 2:33 of the second period.

The Kings did not tie up the game again until the third period, with Anze Kopitar scoring :48 seconds into the final frame. The game remained tied (all the Ducks needed was a single point to clinch the conference), but Matt Beleskey continued his scoring streak by putting Anaheim ahead once more at 15:13.

Kopitar got his second of the night at 16:48 to tie up the game and that was how it remained for the rest of regulation and then through a lively overtime period. The game would not be settled until the shootout, however.

After no goals in the first three rounds, the shootout went to extra time as well. In the fourth round, Boudreau called upon Smith-Pelly, who had never taken a shootout attempt. It was another wise decision by Boudreau as Smith-Pelly nailed the puck behind Quick, who is the winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against.

Now the Ducks play their final home game on Sunday against Colorado, who is trying to clinch the Central Division.

In other notes and musings: Why did the Kings decide to wear the Stadium Series jerseys for their last home game? Seeing as they were shut out by the Ducks in the Stadium game, it was a bit puzzling.

The other puzzling, but truly impressive thing was that the Kings honored Teemu Selanne prior to the game. It was a classy move and came with a stand up paddleboard for Selanne to use during his upcoming retirement. The crowd cheered the Finnish Flash as his career achievements were being lauded in the arena. It is a tribute to Selanne as a person, not just as a player, to get that kind of recognition from the opposing rival team. Bonus points to the Kings organization.

Also points to the person who came up with the idea to give Selanne a standing ovation every shift he plays in the third period against Colorado. The hashtag is #thankyouteemu and seems to be gaining momentum. It will be nice to see it come to fruition.